Knee Meniscal Tear

The meniscus in the knee, are two C-shaped fibrocartilage structures that are positioned between the femur and the tibia. They act as shock absorbers, and help the round ball shape end of the femur, to articulate with more congruency with the tibia, essentially making the top of the tibia more socket shaped.

Due to the complex movements of the knee joint, combined with general wear and tear with life, the meniscus can be prone to injury, particularly with twisting while playing sport, and standing from a squatting position. Dr Agolley is a Knee surgeon on the Gold Coast who performs knee arthroscopy to repair meniscal tears.

Knee Anatomy | Dr David Agolley Orthopaedic Surgeon

What are the symptoms?

The meniscus that is injured determines which side of the knee pain is generally experienced. For medial (inside of the knee) meniscal injuries, the pain is experienced on the inside of the knee, and vice versa for the lateral meniscus. There may be associated catch, locking or clicking in your knee.

Walking and squatting aggravate the pain, and you may have difficulty running or climbing ladders/stairs.

What investigations will be required?

Plain x-rays are always essential to the initial assessment of knee injuries, and MRI scans are always helpful with the diagnosis.

When Should I have Surgery?

After non-surgical treatments are exhausted such as physical therapy and regular pain relief, Dr Agolley will help guide you if surgery would be the best options for your symptoms. Arthroscopy is the main procedure Dr Agolley uses to treat meniscal injuries.

The options are trimming away the torn portion, or repairing the torn portion of meniscus. Dr Agolley will always attempt to preserve as much meniscus as possible, and to repair torn meniscus when it is likely to heal, as this preservation technique will help to minimise ongoing arthritis in your knee joint over time.